Crypt of Rothilion

The Crypt of Rothilion was one of the biggest crypts in Polyandrium. The final resting place of Rothilion, a prominent wizard and judge of Myth Drannor.^[1]

“

...a low rumbling noise begins all around, like far-off hoofbeats. After a few moments the rumbling gets louder, vibrating bones and stone and becoming almost painful. Just before it becomes unbearable the rumbling stops, leaving the Polyandrium eerily quiet. A moment later the enormous doors swing outward with a thunderous crash ...

”

— Exert from Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor^[2]

Location[]

The Crypt of Rothilion was located at the Polyandrium's north ridge^[3] between the Crypt of Kesefehon to its west and the Crypt of Orbakh to its east. The Tower of Bones stood to the south of the crypt's entrance.^[4]

Structure[]

The Crypt of Rothilion had grand wide steps leading towards the tomb's huge double doors carved out of stone. They doors were decorated with a delicate star-shaped patterns that formed arcane runes resembling suns, books, fires, anvils, and scales^[3]. There were no door handles as they crypt was sealed with one of the Myth Drannor's runes and words of power. This particular arcane protection was sealed using the rune of stars which was hidden in Lyssic's crypt in Polyandrium until 1369 DR, and the word of power"venik-rhaa"^[2]. The material the door was created with was magically reinforced to be almost indestructible^[3]. The inscription in elven above the hefty stone doors read "Tomb of Rothilion the Honorable, Wizard and Judge of Myth Drannor."^[1]

Interior[]

The halls of the crypt remained well-lit with torches enchanted by continual flame spell even far into the 14th century DR. The crypt itself was filled with things that represented Rothilion's passions in life, poetry books, and records of his judicial work.^[3]

The hall of the main entrance was inscribed with words in elven warning any who were trying to defile the ancient crypt. The entrance hall led to the Artisan's Hall, a spacious 50 ft. long and wide room with two alcoves in the northern and southern walls. Each of the alcoves was filled with various tools proudly displayed. Across from the main entrance were two locked doors made of dark-colored wood. By 1369 DR, the wood was wrapped by the dampness of the crypt and could not be moved unless forced. The first alcove in the south wall displayed a forge and an anvil undamaged by time. Next to the anvil stood an empty weapons rack and an armor display (the items displayed were likely removed by Hwarlg). The same alcove held two magical items, the tongs of the armorer and the hammer of the weaponsmith. The walls of all the alcoves held scrolls containing information on the crafting techniques of Myth Drannor, all rotted away. The second southern alcove held items dedicated to the jeweler trade, a small smelting furnace, two stone tablets displaying various intricate jewelry locks and clasps, and mounted semi-precious stones on the walls all showing different examples of gem-cutting. The northern alcoves were the tanners' display and the fletchers' display. Tanner's alcove has similarly displayed tools of the trade, and fletcher's alcove held the knife of the bowyer.^[5]

The two dark wood doors led from Artisan's Hall to the Art Gallery built to consist of crossing hallways with passages further west and north. The walls in the hallways were decorated with paintings and tapestries depicting the city of Myth Drannor, markets of the city, playing children in the streets, civic leaders, and the steeples of Castle Cormanthor. Even though the art was of impeccable skill and quality, the items in the gallery suffered the ravages of time. Even damaged these items were valuable. The gallery had an alcove that held the alabaster statue of Rothilion himself raised on a small dais. The statue has a plaque written in common, elven, dwarven, gnomish, celestial, draconic, druidic, and halfling languages that announced the name, titles, and accomplishments of the venerated judge.^[5]

The northern hall led to the Room of Records and the Library a bit further. The Room of Records appeared to be a small study filled with dark wooden bookshelves. The books there were large and heavy, bound in heavy leather. All the books were titles Tribunal of Myth Drannor, each bore a different date.^[5] The Library was a room filled with ceiling-tall bookshelves. The books there all were of different type, color, bound, most were damaged by time. The main series of books of note there were the Chronicles of Rothilion, a numerically sequenced series of books. The last volume of which was the most well preserved and hid a page from the Testament of Jade inside.^[6]

The door at the western side of the gallery led to a large room with a sculpture in its center. The alhoon Hwarlg made this room his home while he was trapped inside. It had a high valued ceiling, black stone walls with veins of gold running through. Upon closer inspection, the sculpture in the middle was Rothilion's exquisite stone coffin of black and yellow stone and covered with a transparent crystal lid. The lid was enchanted to be very hard and unnaturally heavy. The entire coffin was enchanted with the protection from evil spell and trapped any creature touching it with the dimensional anchor. Rothilion's skeletal remains were inside, along with Rothilion's Staff of Justice, and a mahogany box that held the rune of the sun.^[7]

Defenses[]

Upon opening the crypt's runic doors, a glowing glyph was activated that acted as a symbol of fear spell on all evil creatures that laid their eyes on it. The symbol was the last method of protection against looters and faded away after 160 minutes.^[2]

History[]

Crypt of Rothilion was constructed for the venerated human judge from Myth Drannor long before the destruction of the Weeping War. Rothilion died of the old age was was given a hero's burial in the tomb that matched his status. The tomb was enchanted with defensive magics and sealed with a rune and a words of power to prevent grave robbing and desecration. Unfortunately, the wizards who weaved the protective and preservation enchantments did something wrong, and the error created the permanent magical effect in the crypt that caused everything inside to age ten-times faster. That magic caused most things inside the crypt to wither into dust.^[3]

At some point, alhoon named Hwarlg used his magic to penetrate the crypt in search of Rothilion's spellbooks but was trapped inside the crypt unable to unseal the main doors and bound to it by the dimensional anchor protective enchantment. We was trapped in the Crypt of Rothilion until it was unsealed in 1369 DR^[3]. Desperate to escape, Hwarlg used all of his magic to avoid confronting the adventurers who unsealed the crypt and fled the accursed place.

In 1369 DR, during the Cult of the Dragon's attempt to corrupt Myth Drannor's mythal via a resurgent pool of radiance the Crypt of Rothilion was one of the tombs they aimed to excavate in search of the Testament of Jade. The cultist named Nevessam was placed in charge of breaching the crypt's arcane seal. The crypt was unsealed by the group of adventurers who started their quest searching kidnapped villagers and were entangled in the plot of defending the ruins and opposing the Cult.^[8]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Adventures: Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 39. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 29. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 40–41. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.
↑ Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 37. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p32-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p39-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 39. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p38-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p29-4] Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 29. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p40-41-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 40–41. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p42-6] Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p43-7] Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

[POR-p37-8] Sean K. Reynolds (2000). Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 37. ISBN 0-7869-1710-5.

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